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Digital event to explore 'intelligent communities'

A digital event in Bradford is set to explore how investment in new technologies will transform city economies. Key decision-makers will meet at the NextGen Intelligent Cities Conference and Expo to highlight how local, regional and national businesses can boost the economy by exploiting advanced digital infrastructures.

The organisers say the event on 15 July is aimed at putting Bradford in the national spotlight by showcasing its forward-thinking stance and ongoing work in its endeavour to become a 'truly intelligent' community after being awarded the status of Super Connected City by the Government in 2012. It is expected that many other cities will also learn from Bradford’s long-term plans in areas such as broadband access and open data.

Highly influential speakers from the world of innovation and smart cities will host a number of sessions throughout the day, including a keynote by Professor Brian Cantor, vice chancellor at the University of Bradford. A debate between Rashik Parmar, president of IBM Academy of Technology, Nada Nohrova, researcher at Centre for Cities, Jonathan Speed, urban development programme manager at Future Cities Catapult and Tom Riordan, chief executive at Leeds City Council will begin the day.

Mark Collins, director of strategy and policy at CityFibre, and Graeme Scott, technical account manager at Independent Fibre Networks, will also discuss the rise of the 'Gigabit City Movement' and describe how future proofing new-build developments will help cities become smarter.

'It is important that smart initiatives, such as smart meters and open data platforms, are integrated into cities alongside their existing economic development plans to be able to promote economic growth and secure a better quality of life for citizens,' said Ms Nohrova, speaking ahead of the conference. 'Unfortunately a lot of cities do not yet fully embrace new technologies and we believe this is partly due to a lack of consensus on what becoming a smart city truly means.'

'The event has already attracted a wide range of organisations across the UK, from investors and developers, to service providers and specialist technology companies that otherwise might not have a reason to visit Bradford and see what investment and sales opportunities there are,' added Andrew Macdonald, director of NextGen Events. 'The time is now for smart development in cities and our line up of speakers will highlight ideas and case studies on how this can be achieved.'

Global carrier GTT Communications has been selected by Jisc, the provider of digital services for the UK research and education community, to provide high-speed internet transit for the Janet network.

One of the leading national research and education networks in the world, Janet supports the innovation, research and learning of approximately 18 million UK college and university users. The Janet network is also the operator in the UK for eduroam, the international wireless roaming service for the education community that supports more than 70 million users around the world.